Declaration Of Independence Research Paper

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which was approved by The Continental Congress in July of that same year. Representatives of each colony signed it in agreement that it blanketed all the issues that needed to be addressed. He was commissioned to compose a document justifying the independence of the North American colonies. It was sent to King George III and the British Parliament after being unanimously agreed upon by representatives from each of the thirteen original colonies. Proclamations and acts created by the British government lead to the colonists claim for independence.

It began with the French and Indian War, which lasted from 1754 until 1763. During the French and Indian War, the colonists fought for

the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River Valley on the behalf of the British. After the war was won, colonists wanted to settle beyond the Appalachians, but parliament passed the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited any such action.

They did this in order to maintain control over the colonists, as it would be much harder to keep the colonists subdued if they lived beyond the coast, where the renowned Royal British Navy could not reach them. The colonists were furious because they had risked, and lost, lives under the impression that it was going to greatly benefit their lives if the British won against the French. Before the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists had basically been a self-governing body, for it was difficult to get any legislation passed quick enough when the government that was supposed to decree it was across an ocean. So, it caused an uproar when Britain decided to exert more control and power over the colonists. The first act passed was the Sugar Act in 1764, which increased fees on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies and cut them on sugar that was traded though the British Empire. The taxes they imposed on the colonists were there because Great Britain had fallen into debt from the expenses of the French and Indian War. The Quartering Act was passed in 1765 and forced the colonists to house and feed British soldiers if the barracks were full. The colonists considered this to be an invasion of privacy and a violation of private ownership. One of

the largest offenses Great Britain enacted unto the colonists was the Stamp Act of 1765, which required the colonists to procure notarization for different items such as playing cards, newspapers, and legal papers. It was the first tax that England had directly imposed on the American colonies. The Tea Act created a tax on tea importation and resulted in the Boston Tea Party, which wouldn't be tolerated by the British. Great Britain passed the Intolerable Acts in response. The Intolerable Acts restricted colonists in multiple ways, including the obstruction of the Boston Harbor, a center of trade in New England. The colonists became unhappy with Britain and The Continental Congress met for the first time in 1774. The Second Continental Congress met in 1775, but it wasn't until 1776 that the colonies unanimously decided to declare independence.

The first part of the Declaration of Independence is the introduction.

It states a need to be politically independent from Great Britain. It also concisely explains that the people ae entitled to do as such by the laws of nature and of nature’s god. The Preamble then goes on to explain under what circumstances it becomes reasonable for the people to assume independence. The Preamble contains what might be the most recognizable statement in the document, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…”. It goes on to make clear that there are certain undisputed rights that a political institution should on no occasion violate. If those rights were to ever be violated or the government fails to defend them, the document states, then the people have the right to take matters into their own hands and protect those natural rights themselves by ousting the faulty

government.

The part of the declaration that forms the body is divided into two parts. The indictment is section when the document lists the 27 grievances held against King George II by the colonists. He is faulted in interfering with the colonists’ right to self-rule and produce their own judiciary powers. Great Britain was found guilty of establishing legislation that directly affected the American colonies without their consent or knowledge prior to the decision. The Declaration of Independence called King George out on the presumably unfair taxation increase in the colonies. The Colonists were angered by the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and Tea Act, which was made very clear in the text. An important grievance was the British Empire preventing the colonies from trading without obstruction, with other states of commerce besides Great Britain and other British territories.